


That Other Thing

by Kivan



Series: From the Fires [10]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Creative License, Damian's Mouth, Future Fic, Growing Up, Lack of Communication, M/M, Past Relationship(s), batfamily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2015-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-06 04:38:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4208247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kivan/pseuds/Kivan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"There are some things even you could not protect him from."</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Other Thing

**Author's Note:**

> When I tag artistic license what I mean is this work an a longer series are based around a similar idea to Gotham having a Lost Year- where Arkham fails for some reason and all of Gotham tears itself apart.  
> Think of like Raccoon City, but Scarecrow starts a massive psychotropic laced fire around the city so no one can make it out.  
> This snippet between Kon and Damian actually started it and that should tell you something about my tangents. I haven't posted any writing in a long time, so hopefully it's not too horribly edited.  
> Hopefully you don't hate it. Good luck.

"There are some things even you could not protect him from," Robin says and it takes Kon a minute to realize the other man was speaking to him. His voice had been simple, as if he'd been commenting on the weather, his shoulders at ease more than any Robin that had sat in a room with Kon for as long as he’d known to pay attention has ever been.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Kon growls back.

This Robin, Kon knows. After he'd taken the mantel from Tim, years ago, Kon had eventually worked with him many times. Before Gotham had been locked out, and now after. Before, he'd been a brat. Mouthy, volatile and far too quick to a fight, even from Kon’s standard.

When he and Tim had been a more official _thing_ he'd even met Damian outside of his domino mask. He wasn’t honestly any different. The younger boy hadn't spoken more than ten words to him. Generally he'd huff and leave the room shortly after, but none of the Bats liked working with metas so he hadn't taken it personally. Now years later, he's become a great Robin, become a well-known part of Tim's family, but Damian still doesn't seemed to like him.

The now twenty-something year old smirks at him in answer. A smirk not unlike Jason's weeks prior. "I meant exactly what I said, _kryptonian_ ," he answers, with a laugh somehow ringing in his voice. Kon pauses, looking at him for a long moment. Watching him drag the whetstone over the already too sharp edge of his katana, the lazy smirk still secure on his face.

“But what did you _mean_ by it,” he asks teeth unintentionally gritting, having learned Damian’s penchant for being far too literal.

Damian huffs, obviously amused. “You cannot save anyone from themselves, Superboy.” Kon watches him closely, waits for more, even as he can hear Tim’s footsteps moving up the hallways, toward where they’re waiting for him. “ _Especially_ him,” Damian add in the most thoughtful voice Kon has ever heard from the still-young Robin.

Before he can demand an elaboration, the topic of discussion enters the room. Red Robin looks between both of them quickly, Kon not bothering to discontinue his glare and the younger Robin brightly grinning at his sword before turning to greet the third party.

“Red Robin,” Damian intones.

“What are you doing here,” Tim sighs back, shaking his head only slightly before he moves to the console and turns his back on both of them.

“I needed to speak with you about _that one_ topic,” Robin answers, his face belaying that he’s not too thrilled with his predecessor’s easy dismissal.

“Have you talked to Batman?” Tim asks in the same dismissive tone. Damian’s face falls further.

“Not as of yet,” he answers, a full frown pulling at his lips now. Kon honestly finds it amusing.

“Tell him,” Tim snips again, “And then we can talk about it. I refuse to get in the middle of another tiff between you two.” He sighs deeply, fingers stilling along the console momentarily. “Though, I doubt he will have any problem with it. Especially given those new factors.”

Whenever he’s in the room with two or more Bats, Kon has always felt like they’re speaking around him.

Damian only huffs again, “Exactly. So just do your part and I’ll speak to him at the earliest convenience.”

Kon watches the lines of Tim’s back tense, his neck coil, sees him take a deep breath. “ _No_ ,” he grits out. “Chain of command.”

“You’re being difficult,” Damian snips back quickly.

“You’re being _you_ ,” Tim snaps back, “But still,  _no_ , I will not begin fabrication until you have spoken to Batman.” He sighs again, as Damian pins his back with a long stare. “I’m not saying I won’t do it. Just that I want you to have the go-ahead before I do. _Alright_? Don’t be an _ass_ about it.”

Without replying, Robin stands rigidly, slides his sword easily back into its sheath along his back before wordlessly turning and leaving the room.

A minute after the door slides closed, suddenly Tim’s hand rail against the console in front of him making Kon actually jump. “He pisses me off so much,” he growls.

“ _Jesus_ man, scare the shit out of me, why don’t’cha.”

“Sorry,” Tim sighs back, after another moment. “I just hate when he does that.”

“I know, man,” Kon laughs, trying to divert the tension still heavy over the room. “Don’t have to explain it to me. At least he isn’t trying to kill you anymore.”

When Tim laughs back this time, it’s instant and ironic, Kon hears the jump in his heart rate without really listening for it. “Yeah, no, at least he doesn’t do _that_ anymore. Don’t think I could keep up with him if he tried.” It takes a minute, but Kon makes himself concentrate more. He’d been so focused on watching Robin, that his focus on Tim had been ruined.

It feels like it’s been a lifetime since he’s used the other boy’s heartbeat to fall asleep.

Because Tim isn’t a boy anymore. _He’ll be twenty-five in another month_ , Kon reminds himself. He’s learned to wear his hair shorter, and along with redesigning his suit again, Red Robin had reinvented himself multiple times since Gotham’s Lost Year. Kon knows that under the domino mask, his eyes are still bright and tired, and that his fingers, under the thick gloves are still calloused and worn. That, under all that makes his Red Robin, he’s lean, scarred and, still- to Kon, anyway,- beautiful.

But since he’d come back, Kon had seen the moments when his head had been miles away. When he came back from Gotham, he hadn’t really come completely. He was still away more than he had been, for days at a time, living halfway between Gotham and Jump City.

Kon just couldn’t figure out why.

“You alright,” he asks suddenly and Tim turns to look at him easily. The line of his lips turn thoughtful before anything else.

“I’m fine,” he says after another moment, turning back toward the console. “Just wasn’t expecting him to be here.”

“He said he needed to talk to you,” Kon says, “Cassie didn’t want him left alone to roam though, and so I made him wait here.”

Tim nods his head, “Cassie was probably right. Left to his own devices he probably would have come looking for me.”

“Where were you,” Kon asks.

Tim answers with a sharp smirk, “You didn’t know.”

Kon feels his cheeks flush a bit but doesn’t bother to answer that, yes, he knew Tim had been taking a shower after training- as he does most evenings- before coming to the control room to review the days going-on’s.

“Either way, letting Robin roam the tower is something I would rather not happen,” Tim continues, still grinning. Finally, Kon notices the monitor to the immediate right of the screen that shows Robin in the hanger shoving on his helmet and exiting the tower.

“What did he want you to do,” Kon presses, knowing he won’t get a straight answer.

True enough, Tim sighs, “To make a new version on him.” After watching the hanger close behind Robin’s motorcycle, with a few clicks along the keyboard, Tim opens a rendering program and Kon watches him set a digital version of a mannequin with Damian’s height and build- even as far as the inches around his chest and ribs, then his hips.

Kon somehow just knows that Tim isn’t guessing the specific numbers, and without saying anything else, he turns and leaves the room.

Less than three weeks later comes the first report of the newly reinvented vigilante, Blackbird, roaming the streets of Gotham.


End file.
